1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data management and, more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of effectively storing and updating phone book photos and a method for managing phone book photos of the mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile terminal may be configured to perform diverse functions. Such diverse functions may include a data and voice communication function, a function of capturing a photo or video through a camera, a voice storage function, a music file reproducing function through a speaker system, an image or video display function, and the like. Some mobile terminals include an additional function allowing playing games, and other mobile terminals are implemented as multimedia players. Recently, mobile terminals allow users to receive broadcast or multicast signals to view video or television programs.
Efforts are ongoing to support and increase the functionality of mobile terminals. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, as well as changes and improvements in the structural components which form the mobile terminal.
A touch function of a mobile terminal allows a user who is not familiar to a button/key input to conveniently operate the mobile terminal by using a touch screen, taking a hold as a key function of terminals along with a user interface (UI) as well as simple inputs.
In general, a mobile terminal includes a phone book function allowing the user to conveniently manage multiple names, phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses of people (i.e., counterpart users). In particular, recently, as a memory capacity of a mobile terminal increases, the amount of data that can be stored in a phone book has been drastically increased, an information such as photos, limited video, and the like, can be managed. Also, with a camera function installed therein, the mobile terminal includes a photo registration function allowing the user to input a photo of a corresponding user in registering user information in the phone book.
Various data stored in the phone book is managed in the form of a database, and in order to easily search for people stored in the phone book, the data may be grouped by friend, co-worker, family member, relative, or the like, so as to be managed. Thus, the user may search for the name, address, phone number, photo, and the like, of a counterpart user based on the registration information stored in the phone book to conveniently use the terminal.
However, in the related art, in order to store a photo in a photo field, the user must perform a complicated sequential process such as executing a phone book search menu, selecting the name of a phone book record or a phone number, selecting phone book editing, selecting a photo field, searching for a photo, and selecting a photo. Thus, in order to enhance user convenience, the process of storing a photo in the phone book of the mobile terminal needs to be reduced.
Also, it may happen that when the user searches for a photo stored in the photo field of the phone book, there is no photo of a particular person. Generally, a photo of a person stored in the phone book is provided from the corresponding person, or the user must request the person to provide his photo to directly add or update it. As a result, a temporal and spatial effort is required to acquire a photo from the counterpart, and when the user does not like a photo received from the counterpart, it is not easy for the user to receive it again.